The girl he could never have
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: A transfer student from America comes to Daisuke's and Satoshi's school. Her strange personality catches the attentions of both Dark and Krad! But why does Dark continue pursue her when she refuses him every time? SatoKradOOC.
1. The new girl

**The new girl**

"Class, we have a new transfer student, all the way from America! You may come in now," said the teacher. A girl enters, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved hoodie. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet…"

"My name is Anne Nichols. Pleased meet you," said the girl.

"Now as she just moved here, I want you to be on your best behavior!" said the teacher sternly. "Anne, your seat is next to Hiwatari Satoshi. Satoshi, would you raise your hand so she knows where you are?"

A blue haired boy raises his hand and Anne sits in the seat to his left. The teacher then starts the first class of the day. Anne was swarmed by both boys and girls with questions about her hometown.

---------

"So what're the schools like in America?" asked a brown haired girl.

"Nothing like they are here. Back home, they let the _students_ decide what they want to wear to school; not to mention the fact that half the middle schools don't have their own indoor pool!" said Anne.

"Did ya have a boyfriend back home?" asked one of the boys hopefully.

"You're joking right?! The older boys get, the MORE immature they are!" snorted Anne. A girl with reddish-hair snickered at their crestfallen looks. Anne shoots her an evil grin, which only causes the girl to laugh outright.

"Now you I like! My name's Riku. Riku Harada. The girl with the brown hair and ribbon is my twin Risa."

"Nice to meet you, Riku!" says Anne with a grin.

"_Come on Daisuke! You can't be so shy that you won't talk to the new girl!" _said the boy from earlier. He was pushing a red-haired boy who had a flushed face. He stops as soon as Daisuke is right in front of Anne.

"Um hi." Daisuke says nervously.

"Who's the pushy idiot?" she joked.

"HEY!" said the boy who pushed Daisuke.

"His name is Takeshi Saehara. A real loud-mouth who'll do almost _anything _for a story." Satoshi says bored.

"Figures…" muttered Anne.

"So Anne, what're things like in America?" asked Daisuke quietly.

"A little different than they are here. I gotta say though, I rather be in Japan than America! At least here you're not teased because I love anime and manga!" laughed Anne.

"What kind of manga do you enjoy?" asked Risa.

"Fantasy, sci-fi, all sorts of genres. Same for anime. Now music is a different story all together."

"What sorts of music do you prefer?" asked Riku.

"Pop, country, rock, pretty much any kind so long as it isn't rap or hip-hop."

"Why not rap or hip-hop?" asked Takeshi.

"Half the time I can't even understand what they're singing, and when I do, its stuff that I'd rather not hear on the radio!" snorted Anne.

"So why aren't you wearing the school uniform?" asked Satoshi, changing the subject.

"Haven't gotten it yet. I just moved here, so I'm still unpacking."

---------

"You just moved? Is your family here too?" asked Daisuke.

"I'm all on my own. My mom didn't want to move, and I refuse to live with an idiot for a father. My older sister has her own life with two kids and I doubt she'd want to move away. And I'm not as close with the rest of my family on either side so I came alone."

"You have an older sister with _2 _kids?! How old is she?!" said Takeshi in disbelief.

"She's a little over ten years older than I am. Her oldest is a little under ten years younger than me."

"WHA! How old are you?" said Risa.

"14. I became an aunt at ten," said Anne calmly.

"What're their names?" asked Daisuke.

"My sister's name is Rachel, her oldest is Brandon and her youngest is Logan."

"How old is Logan?" asked Riku.

"Don't know for sure. It's easier for me to remember Brandon and Rachel's age because we're ten years apart," admitted Anne.

The lunch bell rang before they could ask any more questions. After the day ended, Anne was about to walk home on her own when she's stopped by Riku, Daisuke and Satoshi

* * *

"We figured since you just moved here we'd help you unpack," said Riku.

"Thanks! I could use the help," said Anne gratefully. She led them to her apartment, which is very hard to get into due to all the boxes.

"I was so tired last night that I could barely make sure the boxes were properly stacked. I have no idea what's in half of this; most of it's probably stuff my family sent me as an after thought!" laughed Anne.

After around two hours, three quarters of the boxes were unpacked and put away. It was a _lot _easier to move around, though the larger boxes they waited until the end to unpack.

"Thanks for all your help guys. I doubt I'd be able to get this much done all on my own!" said Anne.

"No prob. It was either help out a friend or deal with my mom and grandpa's usual joke when I come home anyway!" laughed Daisuke.

"Yeah, and Risa always bugs me to help her with homework when we get home."

"I had nothing better to do, plus it means that my step-father won't be able to contact me," said Satoshi quietly.

"You guys in the mood for pizza?" asked Anne.

"Yeah!" said Riku happily.

"What do you guys want to order?"

"Cheese for me," said Riku.

"Pepperoni on mine,"

"I don't care either way." Satoshi shrugged.

"Okay, a half pepperoni, half cheese pizza then!" declared Anne.

Thirty minutes later, the pizza arrived. She paid the delivery boy and sat the food down on the newly-cleared table. They all sat down and pigged out on the hot pizza. After they finished, Riku and Daisuke headed home.

"See you tomorrow Anne!" they called out.

"Bye! Hey Satoshi, don't you have to go home too?" asked Anne.

"I can stay since no one's even there waiting for me. If we keep our pace up you should be unpacked before bedtime," he replied.

"Good point. Let's get to it then!" she said happily. It took them two more hours, but she was finally finished unpacking. Satoshi bid farewell and she was all alone once again in her new apartment.

_I had more fun today than I've ever had back home! I wonder what other surprises are in store for tomorrow? _

* * *

**So Daisuke, what'd you think of the new girl?**

_She's pretty nice! She really seems to enjoy having friends around._

**I wonder if she's my type…**

_DARK! You have to quit chasing after so many girls!_

**Where's the fun in that?**

_

* * *

**Satoshi-sama, why did you stay at that girl's house longer than the others?  
**Because for some reason, while I was with her, I felt NO contact with you whatsoever._

_**Impossible. That is simply impossible; unless she has latent magical powers…**_

_If she does, I doubt she's even aware of them._

_**Mind if I go and double check?**_

_Do you REALLY have to ask?!_

_**Very well, Satoshi-sama. I will check the next time I break free…**_

* * *

Anne fell asleep on her cot, and her dreams were very different than they were at home. For some reason, she kept seeing a long, blond-haired man with wings…

_Anne's dream…_

_A blond man approached her and said, **"So you are the one I was told about… strange, I don't sense ANY latent powers within you. My Everything must have been mistaken; there's no way he could lose contact because of the likes of you."**_

"_Who are you?"_

**"_I am Krad. Come between us again and you shall die."_**

"_Between you? Between you and who?"_

**"**_**You shall know soon enough…"** said Krad before he started gathering light in his hand. He threw it at her, and when she ducked, it went over her; she could feel the searing heat from his blast…_

"Woah! That was weird…" she said before falling back asleep moments later.

* * *

The next day…

"Aw geez! With all the unpacking I did yesterday I forgot to check the mail!" grumbled Anne as she got up. She went down to the mailbox and looked inside. She found a package in her box that was from the school. She went back upstairs and opened it; it was her new uniform. She ate breakfast and then got dressed in her new uniform before heading to school.

"Ohayo, Anne!" said Daisuke and Riku.

"Ohayo guys!" she replied. (She may not know much Japanese yet, but she DID know enough to remember Ohayo was 'Good Morning'.)

"So did you get everything unpacked?" asked Takeshi.

"Yup, thanks to Satoshi-kun's help!" she said cheerfully.

"SATOSHI HELPED?!" said Takeshi in disbelief.

"Satoshi, Riku and Daisuke all came over and helped me last night," she replied.

"_Daisuke, why_ _didn't you take me with ya?!_"

"The phrase 'spur of the moment' comes to mind," said Anne dryly.

"Guys, we better hurry! The bell's about to ring!" called Riku. They all rushed into the class and sat down.

---------

"When'd you get the uniform Anne?" asked Satoshi.

"I forgot to check last night. It was already there… That is, unless mail runs in the morning and not the afternoon."

"Nope. We get ours after-school."

"So it was already there… You guys work fast down here!" laughed Anne.

"Maybe…" murmured Satoshi

"By the way, Satoshi, have you ever heard of someone named 'Krad'?"

"W-w-why do you ask?!" stammered Satoshi.

"Nothing… it's just that I keep hearing the name Krad over and over again in my head for some reason," shrugged Anne. Satoshi visibly relaxed at this, which caused Anne to shoot him an odd look. Takeshi came over to her and asked excitedly, "Hey Anne, you ever see Phantom Dark?"

* * *

"Who's Phantom Dork?" asked Anne. Riku and Satoshi both held back their laughs.

"Not Dork, DARK. He's a really weird thief who announces what he's gonna steal and at what time! He has yet to fail!" said Takeshi.

"I'm sorry, but he still sounds like a dork to me," said Anne bluntly. Satoshi couldn't hold it anymore and bursts out laughing. He finally calms down when the bell rings and class starts.

"Why'd he ask me if I heard of this Dork character?" asked Anne. Satoshi grins and replies, "Because Dark announced his next target this morning. Want to come see?"

"Sure I guess… I have nothing better to do tonight," answered Anne.

"In that case, you can join me behind the police line."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm the one in charge of Dork's case," said Satoshi.

"I'm definitely in!" whispered Anne.

* * *

That day, after the final bell rung, Anne followed Satoshi back to his place. After they finished the work assigned that day, they headed straight to the museum and waited. Right on time, Dark flew in. Anne silently sighed and when Satoshi looked at her she said, "It's times like these when I really wished I knew how to use a bow and arrow. Maybe then I'd be able to bring down that overgrown pigeon."

"Overgrown…pigeon?!" said Satoshi between laughs. Any of the officers who heard her comment also started laughing.

"You mean that wasn't some oversized bird?"

"That, my friend, was none other than Phantom Dark."

"_That's Dark?!_ He looked like an overstuffed turkey to me!" snickered Anne. When the Detective heard that one, he burst out laughing as well.

"I gotta remember that one!" he laughed.

"Come on; you can go inside with me and see him up close," said Satoshi. She followed and when she sees Dark firsthand, she smirks.

"I still say he looks like an overstuffed turkey."

**"Who's an overstuffed Turkey?"** said Dark as he looks up.

"You. I was right the first time, you are a dork."

**"I'M A WHAT?!"**

"Dork. D-o-r-k. Can't you spell?" sniggered Anne. Satoshi was holding his sides laughing at this point.

**"Who are you anyway?"** asked Dark irritably.

"I'm Anne, an American transfer student."

**"Well look here, Anne. My name is Phantom DARK not Phantom Dork."**

"So I've heard. But Phantom Thief DORK suits you better."

"Anne, you're killing me here!" laughed Satoshi. Dark takes this chance and runs for it.

"What a wuss. Why'd he run away like such a coward?"

"Wouldn't be much of a thief if he didn't make his getaway."

"Well one thing's for sure," said Anne.

"What?"

"After seeing his _Grand Entrance_, I'm going to have to start taking lessons on how to shoot a bow and arrow," said Anne. This got Satoshi laughing all over again.


	2. First Impressions

**First impressions**

"So Anne, what did you think of Phantom Dark?" asked Risa.

"Dark? Puh-lease, Phantom Dork would be more accurate," snorted Anne. Any guy who heard this started laughing. Every guy except Daisuke that is.

"Anne, tell them what you said after meeting Dork firsthand," snickered Satoshi.

"Which part? The one about wanting to take lessons on how to use a bow and arrow?"

"Why would you want to take lessons for that?" asked one of the Dark fan girls.

"So I can shoot that _overstuffed pigeon out of the sky_," Anne grinned. Her head turned at the sound of Daisuke falling down, anime-style.

"But those aren't Dark's real wings," said Daisuke when he got up.

"Then what does he use to fly? A black glider?"

"Settle down class," said the teacher. Class started as usual and when they handed in their homework assignments; Anne whispered to Satoshi, "Hey, thanks for helping me with the homework last night. I doubt I'd be able to figure out half that stuff on my own."

"After the laugh you gave me last night, I'd say it was a fair trade."

"Mind if I tag along again next time too? I'd love to have another crack at his ego."

Satoshi quietly snickered at this, and Anne smiled.

* * *

"Ugh… I didn't like homework when I was in America, and I sure don't like it here either," grumbled Anne. 

"Why's that? You sure don't seem to mind English…" said Riku.

"I'm an avid reader; of course I enjoy English. But anything math related gives me a monster headache."

"You're more than welcome to come over to my place; I'd be happy to help you with the algebra assignment." Satoshi said out of nowhere.

"Arigato, Satoshi-kun! You have NO idea how much I hate having to do math," said Anne relieved. He smiled, which caused her to grin back.

"So that's what it means…" murmured Anne. She was in Satoshi's apartment, working out homework assignments. It became quickly apparent to Satoshi that she needed quite a bit of help. (Mostly due to the fact that the textbooks were in Japanese.)

"Anne, how much Japanese do you really know?" asked Satoshi with an odd look.

"Not much. I barely know any; unless you count the few words I've picked up off of anime and manga."

"Mind giving me a few examples?"

"Kage-shadow, Hikari-light, Kuwaii-cute, Baka-moron or idiot (depends on where you use it), Ohayo-good morning, Arigato-thank you, and that's about it…" admitted Anne.

"Well, your pronunciation isn't too bad, but you do need help with your Japanese."

"Think it'd be possible for you to help me?" said Anne, her eyes pleading.

"I think we could arrange something…" hinted Satoshi.

* * *

"That reminds me, Satoshi why were you so freaked out when I asked you if you knew someone by the name of Krad the other day?" 

"It's kinda hard to explain…" said Satoshi vaguely.

"Humor me."

"Well Krad is really Phantom Dork's opposite."

"That explains why his name's Krad. It's Dark spelled backwards."

"Yeah, but Krad is a lot harder to deal with compared to Dark. His nickname is the Homicidal Blond."

"He still sounds better than that overstuffed pigeon."

"He looks like an angel, but thinks like a devil."

"Satoshi, how do you know so much about Krad anyway?" asked Anne.

"Let's just say that I've had some personal experiences that I'd rather not talk about…"

"So is Krad as popular as Dark?" asked Anne.

"Few people even know about him. Where did you hear about him anyway?" said Satoshi.

"Would you believe me if I told you I saw him in a dream?"

"A dream?"

"Yeah, I had this weird dream the day you and the others helped me unpack. I woke up around the same time his light blast flew over me," said Anne with a shrug.

"He shot at you? Why?"

"Don't know… All I can remember was that he said something about me coming between him and his 'everything'…"

"Wait… he called someone his 'everything'?!" said Satoshi in annoyance.

"That's what he said."

---------

_KRAD! We have to talk!_

---------

"Well enough about that idiot."

"Oh joy, back to my nightmare…" muttered Anne.

A few hours later, Anne and Satoshi were finally finished; it was around 11:00.

"Maybe you should stay here tonight. It's pretty late to be walking on the streets."

"I can handle myself," replied Anne quietly.

"Are you sure? There are a lot of unsavory characters out…" said Satoshi, worriedly.

"I'd like to see them try," snorted Anne angrily.

"Anne, I just don't want to see you hurt."

"I'll be fine. See you tomorrow, Satoshi-kun," said Anne as she headed out the door. Satoshi was still concerned, and for good reason. He didn't know what to do until the Homicidal Blond spoke up.

_

* * *

**Satoshi-sama, I think you were right about the girl blocking me.** _

_Krad! Why were you in her dreams?!_

_**I wasn't. **_

_She sure described you pretty damn well! _

_**If she did see me, then she somehow picked it up. I was NO WHERE near her house at all!**_

_Then how…?_

_**I don't know, but if you're so worried about her safety… Then let me take over and I'll watch over her until she goes inside the door. Fair enough?**_

_Fine…but only if you DON'T attack her!_

_**Deal.**_

* * *

Satoshi allowed Krad to take over, and he flew off. It wasn't too hard to catch up to Anne. He flew silently overhead and was almost caught off-guard when she was suddenly pulled into the shadows of an alley. He landed and waited, listening to the girl's conversation with the predator. 

"What the hell do you want, you bastard?" she snarled.

"_You should guess what I want…"_ said the man, his chuckle sent chills down her spine.

"Come any closer and I swear I'll kick your sorry ass," she growled. Much to Krad and Satoshi's surprise, her growl was similar to a dog's.

"_I'd love to see you try, little girl,"_ said the man, he started moving closer and closer until…

**SMACK!** She slapped him hard, a large welt rising in the spot where her and made contact. She sucker-punched him in the stomach before kicking him hard. He fell to the ground whimpering from pain. She didn't stop her assault until she was sure he was unconscious. She pulled out a camera and took a quick picture of the man before storming off, fuming.

_

* * *

**Woah.** _

_What just happened?!_

_**She was attacked and kicked the fool's ass thoroughly.**_

_Remind me never to make her THAT mad…_

_**Should I continue to follow her?**_

_Yes. I want to keep an eye on her until she returns back to her apartment._

* * *

Krad and Satoshi took flight once more, and found Anne quickly. The scene of her having to clobber would-be predators was repeated twice before she came to her block. By that time she was exhausted. Once again, she was pulled into a dark alley. Because she had wasted a majority of her energy protecting herself from three _other_ would-be assaults, she had barely enough energy to fight him off. She managed to repeat her offensive defense maneuvers, there was only one catch; after these attacks she could barely stand, let alone protect herself. She stumbled wearily to her apartment building. 

Krad was so impressed by her performance that he swooped down and caught her before she passed out. She was barely awake, but her eyes widened as she recognized the blond.

**"_Relax, girl. I saw that little stunt you pulled with those four men and I have to say, I was impressed. I'm not going to harm you,"_ **said Krad gently.

"How…" started Anne before she blacked out, her head against his shoulders. Krad chuckled and headed straight back to his Tamer's apartment.

* * *

"Unh… Where am I?" said Anne wearily the next morning. 

"Ohayo, Anne-chan." Satoshi said quietly. Anne sat up, her eyes wide with shock.

"How did I get back here?!" she exclaimed.

"Krad. He was following you last night and for some reason dropped you off at my door."

"So that was Krad?" she said, confused.

"The blond was Krad. I don't know why he brought you back here."

"If you ever see him again, tell him I said Thank you."

"I'll remember to say that next time. Care to explain why you were so weak when he dropped you off?"

"I was attacked, not once or twice but _four _times on my way home. Too bad for those fools that I'm violence-oriented."

"What's that?" asked Satoshi.

"It's my way of saying that I'm more likely to punch someone than talk it out," grinned Anne.

"Can you describe the men who attacked you?"

"I don't need to; after I beat them unconscious, I took their pictures. By the way, what time is it?" asked Anne suddenly.

"It's 10:30 am. Why?"

"WHA! I overslept!"

"If you mean school, then don't worry. It's Sunday, which means school isn't open. You need to focus more on recovering from last night's shock."

"I guess… My head is killing me…" groaned Anne. She lay back down, her eyes closing wearily. Satoshi waited until she fell fast asleep before pulling the covers up over her.

_

* * *

Did you hear what she said Krad? _

_**Not really. What?**_

_She said Thank you._

_**Why'd she say that to you?**_

_It wasn't to me, idiot. She wanted to say thank you for saving her last night. But why didn't you return her to her own house?!_

_**I had NO idea where it was. **_

_Well, at least she's safe for now._

_**Have you told her about Dark's advanced warning for tonight?**_

_And have her stressed out even more?! Are you nuts?! I'll tell her tonight when she recovered some more from those attacks. I still can't believe she was assaulted 4 times in one night._

_**Mind if I come out tonight? I haven't annoyed Dark in some time…**_

_Fine…I guess you DID earn some time out after you saved her last night. Just don't go attacking her as well as Dark._

* * *

That night, Satoshi brought her along to the museum where Dark was going to steal yet another art piece. The officers let her through while grins on their faces. They remembered her comments from the last time and were happy to see her again! She went into the museum with Satoshi and sat down while they waited for Dark to appear. The lights all went out in an instant! 

"What the…?!" exclaimed Anne.

"Calm down… It's just another one of Dark's stunts." Satoshi said in a bored tone.

**"Hello Commander…"**snickered Dark as he swiped the piece with ease.

"Hello Dark. Having fun?" griped Satoshi irritably.

**"I always have fun outsmarting you!"** sneered Dark. He dodged Satoshi's lunge and was about to make his getaway when he noticed Anne sitting on a bench all alone. He has his usual 'playboy' smirk on and goes to her.

* * *

**"Hey there, cutie. What ya doin' out here all alone?"** said Dark as he walked to her. 

"What do you want?" grumbled Anne wearily.

**"Just wanted to see why you're out here all alone with no one protecting you… There're plenty of fiends out there who enjoy preying on pretty young girls…"**

"I'm fully aware of THAT. Go hit on some other girl and leave me be!" growled Anne. Dark is slightly taken aback by her abrupt dismissal. _He had never been rejected so completely like this before…_

**"I guess I'll take my leave then…"**

"Good riddance!" snorted Anne. She started to get up and walk away when her knees buckled from under her. Dark caught her before she fell and held her close.

"Let me go!" grumbled Anne.


	3. Krad has a fan

**Krad has a fan?**

**"Why did you nearly collapse?"** asked Dark.

"None of your damn business! NOW LET ME GO!" growled Anne angrily.

**"Not a chance." **Dark smirked. Her eyes grew wide with fury and then…

**SMACK! **She slaps him as hard as she can with her remaining strength. He staggers before his eyes widen with shock. He had never been slapped by a girl before! She stumbles slightly before she catches herself. Dark is so surprised that he attempts to see if she's okay before…

**WHAP!** He's hit with a fiery ball of light. His head turns in time to see… _his opposite half Krad with a snarl._

* * *

**"_Is harassing girls one of your NEW hobbies, Dark?"_**

**"Krad… What're YOU doing out?!"**

**"_I thought it'd be obvious. I came out to deal with you."_** Krad said as he prepared to launch yet another fire attack. Dark's eyes grow angry and he ignores the pleas of his tamer. Anne is horrified when Dark launches his own magic blast at Krad. It barely misses him, and Anne grows angry.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE DORK!" she roars. Dark turns to her in annoyance and shouts back, **"Stay out of this brat! This doesn't concern you!"**

He launches attack after attack at Krad; several hit the mark and he is critically injured.

"Krad!" exclaims Anne as she steps between him and the enraged Phantom Thief.

**"Stay away from him! He'll kill you without a second thought!"** warned Dark.

"Go back to hell! I'm not letting you hurt him any more!" retorted Anne. Krad's eyes open in shock. He had never had someone defend him before…

**"STAND ASIDE!"** roared Dark in anger.

"NO!"

**"Fine then! If you won't get away then I'll blast you too!"** growled Dark as he prepared yet another attack.

Anne flinches and stays in front of Krad, determined not to let him suffer any longer. As the blast comes towards them, she is enveloped in white wings and they take flight. When they're out of sight, Dark calms down and takes off.

* * *

"Krad, are you alright?" Anne asks as they fly through the night sky. Her suspicion is confirmed as he starts to falter and has to glide back down. Krad stumbles slightly and has a hard time standing. Anne takes out a few strips of clothe and when he finally collapses to his knees, she gently bandages his wounds.

"Hold still…" she says gently.

**"_Why are you helping me?"_** said Krad confused. He winces as she tightens the bandage on his arm.

"Do I have to have a reason to help someone?" she says quietly. He remains silent as she finishes binding his wounds. She carefully helps him to his feet and they start a long journey back to her house.

**"_Satoshi-sama's house is closer."_**

"Maybe, but I don't want to enter someone else's home without their permission."

**"_I wouldn't worry about that. I can guarantee that he won't mind,"_** Krad assures her.

"I don't know…" starts Anne when she realizes his breathing was becoming more labored with every minute. "Satoshi's it is then."

She lets Krad lean on her until they reach Satoshi's home. Krad collapses on the bed, and Anne is worried.

* * *

"Are you going to be alright?" she asks.

**"**_**I've had worse days…"** _he says softly as his eyes close tiredly.

"I've wanted to say thank you for last night. I don't think that I would have made it home…" she says quietly. Krad turns his head slightly and looks at her. He is shocked to see concern, and struggles to understand why. He slowly sinks into the comfort of sleep; suddenly he hears an angelic voice singing through the darkness…

_How can you see into my eyes_

_Like open doors,_

_Leading you down into my core_

_Where I've become so numb_

_Without a soul, my spirit sleeping _

_Somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

_Wake me up inside,_

_Wake me up inside,_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

_Bid my blood to run,_

_Before I come undone_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

_Now that I know what I'm without_

_You can't just leave me,_

_Breathe into me and make me real,_

_Bring me to life_

_Wake me up inside,_

_Wake me up inside,_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

_Bid my blood to run,_

_Before I come undone,_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

_Frozen inside without your touch, without your love darling,_

_Only you are the life among the dead_

_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see_

_Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me_

_I sleeping a thousand years it seems, _

_Got to open my eyes to everything_

_Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul_

_Don't let me die here_

_There must be something more_

_Bring me to life_

_Wake me up inside_

_Wake me up inside_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

_Bid my blood to run _

_Before I come undone_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

_Bring to me to life_

_I've been living a lie,_

_There's nothing inside_

_Bring me to life_

**(Please note that these are lyrics from Evanescence, "Bring me to life", from their first CD 'Fallen'.)**

Krad slowly slips into the abyss of sleep as the song fades…

* * *

He awakens the next morning, groggy and disoriented. When he wakes up, he is surprised to find that he has yet to switch back with Satoshi. He worriedly checks on his tamer, and is relieved to find that Satoshi was sound asleep, trying to recover the energy from the confrontation the night before. Suddenly he smells eggs…

Anne was up and cooking breakfast; her head cocks slightly at the sound of Krad's waking.

"I'm glad your up… It's almost 11:00."

**"_Shouldn't you be at school?_"** asks Krad in surprise.

"And leave you all alone while you're still recovering?! Fat chance! Besides, if Dark can slip through police defenses, then breaking in here would be child's play," she replies bluntly. She turns her attention back to the eggs, which were nearly done.

**"_What're you doing?"_**

"I take it that you've never had breakfast before…" she chuckles.

**"_You could say that…"_** Krad murmurs as he sits down. She brings the eggs and puts the plate on the table.

"Ever had eggs before?" she smiles.

**"_Not that I can remember."_**

"I thought as much. I hope you like 'em scrambled!" she laughs as she puts the pan in the sink. Krad tries her cooking and is mildly surprised at the taste.

**"_Wow… these are pretty good!"_**

"I'm not surprised. My main specialty is sweets and breakfast foods."

Krad finishes his first breakfast in silence. When he finished, she puts the plate in the sink. She sits down and they have an uncomfortable few moments in silence.

* * *

"I'm guessing that you're wondering why I helped you…" she says quietly.

**"_That was crossing my mind…"_**

"Part of it was because I wanted to repay you for the night before. But mostly it was because I was worried about you. You stopped Dark from bothering me anymore; you're definitely different to the perverted thief," said Anne. At the last bit he chuckles.

**"_Why aren't you scared of me? Surely Satoshi-sama told you about me,"_** said Krad confused. His confusion is increased as she giggles.

"The reason why I wasn't scared of you is because I prefer demons to angels any day…" she laughs outright at the look on his face. "Angels are always portrayed as uptight goody-goodies, whereas demons actually have fun. Demons are way more interesting!"

**"_You are ONE strange girl…"_**

"Thanks! I try my best to be different!" she laughed. Krad is unable to help but laugh as well.

**"_Why don't you get along with Dark?"_**

"Why don't YOU get along with that idiot?" she retorts.

**"**_**We're opposites. We have NEVER gotten along,"** _replies Krad.

"So why is it that so few people know about you?"

**"_Because I cause so much harm to those my tamers become close too, they generally don't let me out much. The Hikari clan doesn't seem to like me that much…"_**

"Hikari clan?"

**"_Satoshi-sama's clan. His original name is Hikari Satoshi."_**

"Why does he go by Hiwatari?! Hikari sounds a lot better!"

**"_He's adopted; the last of his clan."_**

"Oh."

**"_By the way, who was that singing last night?"_ **asks Krad. He is mildly surprised at Anne blushing.

"That…was me… I didn't realize that you'd heard me!" she says embarrassed.

**"_What song was that?"_**

"One off of my favorite CD, Fallen. It's called 'Bring me to life,'" said Anne.

**"_Do you know any others?"_**

"My favorite songs. I generally try to learn the lyrics to them if I really like them. So I know quite a few."

Krad started to get up, but he found that his legs wouldn't move very well. Anne looked at him and realized what was wrong.

"You're legs are refusing to move, aren't they?"

**"_How'd you guess…?"_**

"Easy; you would have gotten up otherwise. Come on, I'll help you up," said Anne as she walked over to Krad and let him lean on her slightly.

* * *

They make it as far as the couch before Krad's strength started to give way. She gently helped Krad sit down on the couch. Krad's eyes start to droop, and Anne realizes that he still hasn't recovered from Dark's vicious attack. As his head starts to nod, she carefully lets him lay in her lap. Krad's eyes open slightly in surprise, but he quickly falls fast asleep.

This went on for another two days, with NO sign of Satoshi. Anne was worried, but Krad reassured her that Satoshi was fine. When he fully recovered, Anne headed back home. What would happen every night for a week straight would cause Dark to think twice about seducing her.


	4. Anne's powers awaken

**Anne's powers awaken**

A week after Satoshi started coming back to school; Anne was having the same dream for three nights straight. It was always the same, right as she fell asleep; she hears the door outside open and senses that she isn't alone. Every time she gets up to see who's there, it vanishes. She always had a hard time going back to sleep, so she took some medication. As a result, she was always groggy in the morning.

"Anne, why have you been so sleepy lately?" asked Satoshi.

"I've been having a hard time sleeping."

"How come?"

"Every time I'm about to fall asleep, I hear someone enter through the outside door. But when I get up to see who it is, they vanish!"

"Who would be in your house?"

"I don't know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it's Dark."

"Why's that?" asked Satoshi.

"I've locked the door every night and yet when I wake up, it's wide open!"

"Sounds like Dark alright…" murmured Satoshi.

"If this keeps up, I'll start falling asleep in class!"

"That doesn't sound like a good idea. Want me to stay the night?"

"No, I don't want you to become as paranoid as me!"

"Maybe you should spend the night at my house again. Dark wouldn't dare enter," said Satoshi.

"I couldn't possibly…"

"If you say so," said Satoshi with a shrug.

After another night of the intruder, Anne conceded to defeat and finally asked Satoshi for help. She passed him a note during lunch. It read:

_Satoshi, could you stay with me tonight and catch whoever's there? This is driving me nuts!_

Satoshi read and wrote back, _Sure. IF it really is Dark, then he'll have some explaining to do!_

* * *

That night, it happened yet again; only this time, the intruder didn't escape so easily! As the intruder entered the bedroom, he noticed that Anne was fast asleep. He assumed it was due to exhaustion. He moved to pull the covers over her, only to be grabbed by Satoshi! 

"Not this time, you pervert!" he snarled.

**"Nice to see you again too, Commander."** Dark smirked.

"Care to explain why you're in Anne's house?"

**"I'm only here to break whatever enchantment Krad has on her,"** said Dark.

"Did it ever OCCUR to you that maybe Krad doesn't have a spell on her?!"

**"Why else would she willingly spend three whole days with him alone?"**

"Maybe because I WANTED to?!" growled Anne.

**"WHA! If your there then who's…?!"**

"It's called a doppelganger. Get used to it!" growled Anne.

"Why did you think that she had an enchantment on her?"

**"No one would EVER protect Krad unless they were either forced to or enchanted."**

"What do I have to do to prove that I'm not enchanted?!" griped Anne.

**"You can let me use a counter spell on you that will break ANY enchantments you have currently on you."**

"If I let you, THEN will you leave me alone?!"

**"Until I get further reason to suspect that Krad's done something to you, yes."**

"Then let's get this over with," said Anne as she muttered under her breath, _"People like you are the reason pepper-spray was invented!"_

Dark cast the anti-spell on Anne, with no obvious effects. This surprised him; he had expected to see SOME sort of spell on her! Though she did glow a small amount, no other signs were apparent.

**"What is going on?! Why would ANYONE like Krad?!"**

"Well for one thing, he _isn't a pervert_, like SOME people!" griped Anne. Satoshi tried not to laugh.

_

* * *

This problem with Dark happened twice afterwards, and the fourth time, Anne had had enough! Anne could no longer take his stupidity, and decided to deal with Dark all on her own, instead of asking Satoshi again for help. _

"DARK! I know you're out there!" barked Anne angrily.

**"Where's your boyfriend?"** sneered Dark.

"He's at home! I have HAD it with your spying! Either you knock it off, or I'll be forced to kick your ass!"

**"You? Kick MY ass? As if!"** Dark snorted. His eyes widened when he sensed something change within her. He looked at her and is shocked to find her glowing.

**"What…what is going on?!"**

"You're about to die…" hissed Anne, though her voice was NOT her own! Her power that had been lying dormant for over a decade had been unleashed.

"_BY ANGERING THE GIRL AND WEAKENING HER DEFENSES YOU HAVE UNLEASHED THE FURY. NOW YOU SHALL SUFFER PAIN UNIMAGINABLE."_

**"Not tonight I ain't!"** said Dark as he flew off like a bat out of hell.

"_Fool. Do you really believe running will save you?"_ sneered Anne. Her eyes glowed an icy-blue…

_

* * *

Sand rose up from the depths of the sea, and came at her call. It spiraled out of the water, wet at first, but quickly drying in the night sky. As it approaches its master, it takes the unusual shape of a large gourd on her back. She undid the stopper, and directed her attack straight at the retreating Phantom Thief. She ensnares Dark with her sand and says clearly, "Sand Burial!" Dark is rendered completely helpless, and trembles as he is at the mercy of her whim._

* * *

**Shit. I didn't know she had this sort of power inside her! Now what?!**

_You could always apologize…_

**I don't think she'd let me loose even if I DID apologize!**

_Hey, what's going on with Wiz?!_

**Oh no… He's suffocating!**

* * *

Dark tries to think of a way out; Wiz is slowly buried deep within the sand's grasp. That was when he thought of a possible escape. He quickly switched places with his tamer, who looks shocked at Dark's stunt.

"DARK!" shouted Daisuke. His sudden appearance startles Anne enough that the sand loses its death grip on Daisuke and Wiz. They start to free-fall only to be caught by…_KRAD?!_

"_Krad…"_ said Anne before she blacks out. She falls in the balcony outside her house and lays still, unconscious. After Krad sets Daisuke and Wiz down, they head straight back to their house without stopping. Krad then flies up to Anne's apartment, and is horrified when he sees her lying on the ground, her breaths coming harshly. Krad carefully picks her up, and starts to lie her down on her bed. She clutches his shirt with a vice-like grip, and he realizes she's afraid of something. He holds her closer, and she relaxes.

**"_Anne…what's happening to you?"_** he whispers.

* * *

As Krad carries Anne back to Satoshi's house, her breathing becomes more uneven and ragged. When he reached the door, he slowly opened it and laid her down. After he pulled the covers over her, she opened a weary eye and said, "What…what happened?"

**"_That's what I'd love to know. I came over as fast as I could when I felt that surge of energy. I really flew fast after that sand came out of nowhere!"_**

"Sand?! Oh, no… not again!" groaned Anne as she sat up.

**"_Anne, what happened? And what do you mean again? Has this happened before?!"_**

"You could say that… I thought it wore off by now!"

**"_WHAT?! What wore off?!"_**

"When I first got hooked onto anime, weird things started occurring. First it was the talking cat, then it was all sorts of monsters showing up out of nowhere! I thought I was going nuts! What caught my attention was the fact that everything seemed tied to the cartoons…"

**"_What happened?"_**

"Somehow, I managed to tune into the other worlds where each show came from and brought them here… You have NO idea how much grief my father and his family has given me because of my hobbies." Anne said with a sigh, then she continued, "As I got older, it gradually got better and they started going away. That is, until I really got hooked on it, then all hell broke loose!"

**"**_**Define 'all hell broke loose'**…"_ said Krad warily.

"I got into dragons and sorcery, and the next thing I knew, my father was dragging me into churches trying to get me exorcised. After the last time he tried that, I cut almost all ties with him altogether."

**"_Why didn't you tell us this from the beginning?"_**

"Because I thought I finally had it under control and didn't want to freak everyone out. I thought the effects had finally gone for good… What I'd like to know is what reactivated it!" said Anne with an unhappy look.

**"_Dark… He must have been bothering you again, because I barely saved him and his familiar from falling to death outside YOUR house."_**

"Can you describe the sand you mentioned?"

"_It had Dark in a death grip, and it looked like you were about ready to crush him when he switched back with his tamer. By the time I set them down, you were unconscious outside your balcony,"_ said Krad gently.

"Figures. I didn't want to involve Satoshi again in my fight with Dark, so I must have inadvertently reawakened my old powers."

**"_I think that we've talked enough… You can talk to Satoshi-sama in the morning."_**

"Did you say something? I can't quite hear you…" said Anne quietly as she slowly lay down. Krad comes closer to repeat what he said, only to be shocked as she gently kisses him!

_

* * *

HAHAHA!!! Now that was slick!_

_**WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!**_

_Means she did that deliberately._

_**WHAT!**_

_I think she likes you, Krad… Hehehe._

_**What do I do?**_

_Nothing right now. You'll figure something out by tomorrow! _Satoshi evilly chuckles as he senses Krad blushing.

* * *

The next morning, Satoshi went to Anne's side as she stirred.

"Morning," said Satoshi with a grin.

"Morning, Hikari-kun," said Anne sleepily. She grins at the look of shock on his face.

"How did you…?!" started Satoshi in surprise.

"Krad told me a while ago. I have to say, Hikari sounds A LOT better than Hiwatari," she giggled.

"I have to say, you pulled quite a fast one on Krad last night!" snickered Satoshi.

"EH?! You were watching us?!"

"It's kinda hard not to when you're sharing the same body with a psychotic angel named Krad."

"Oh. Wait, you and Krad are the same person?!" said Anne in surprise.

"Unfortunately."

"That explains how you two know each other so well."

"…"

"So, is it alright with you if I just call you Hikari-kun at school?"

"Sure. I don't mind, especially since hardly ANYONE knows my real name."

"Speaking of school…what time is it?"

"Don't worry, I already mimicked your voice and called BOTH of us in sick. You won't have to go back for a few days. I even convinced Daisuke to drop off any homework we miss until you recover," said Satoshi with a smile.

"You've thought of everything haven't you…"

* * *

"Almost everything. After the ass-kicking you gave Dark last night, I don't think he'll be in the mood to steal anything for at least a week!" laughed Satoshi.

"He better not…" growled Anne fiercely.

"Care to explain what was with the sand last night?"

"It's one of my favorite characters attacks. It's from an anime/manga called Naruto. The one who uses sand is named Gaara."

"Why am I not surprised. So what are you going to do now? Can you still control your powers?"

"I'll have to re-train… It's been years since I've been able to use it at will." Anne said quietly. Her eyes started to droop a little, and Satoshi smiles warmly.

"You might as well rest; I'm not going anywhere today."

"Thank you Satoshi…" said Anne softly as she falls fast asleep. Satoshi covers her back up, and gently sits next to her for around half an hour for no reason.

_

* * *

**Why Satoshi-sama… I do believe you're falling in love with her.**_

_I know…and I'm a little worried about that…_

_**Why?**_

_Because every time someone tries to get close to me, you show up and either kill them or scare them far away._

_**I doubt that you need worry about that with her… She's the first one that I actually like.**_

_Eh?! You mean to say that the Homicidal Blond has a crush on a GIRL?_

_**Bite me, you blue-haired brat!**_


	5. Krad and Satoshi

**Krad and Satoshi**

Anne woke up around an hour after she fell back asleep. She got up and met Satoshi in the kitchen.

"So you finally decided to get up. You could have stayed asleep all day… I wouldn't have minded."

"No, but I can't stand not doing anything all day!"

"What were you planning on doing then?"

"I was thinking of maybe practicing with my power…"

"Are you sure? You did take quite a beating last night."

"It's pretty easy actually. It helps when you have the imagination and maturity of a child."

"I'll have to take your word for that…" said Satoshi.

After the two ate breakfast, Satoshi took her to a place where she could practice her powers without any damage.

* * *

"Ready Satoshi, Krad?" called Anne. They both nod, though she can only see Satoshi. She begins to concentrate on something from out of her favorite animes. Slowly, but surely, it begins to take form. When it fully materializes, a long red staff with wings and a crescent moon is revealed. In her other hand is a deck of what appears to be Tarot cards. 

"Looks like I haven't lost my touch after all!" she laughs.

"What is that thing?"

"It's a key to a certain book. I got the main forms from a really old anime called 'Cardcaptor Sakura.' Though I did modify it a little bit…"

"Modified what?"

"The staff. In the show, it was pinkish with a star on top, not a moon."

"And the Tarot Cards?"

"Actually, they _aren't _Tarot Cards. They're Clow cards. Unlike a tarot deck, Clow cards have magical powers that can be released. Be glad that I didn't summon the two guardians!"

"Guardians?"

"Kero Beros, a large fiery cat, and Yue the lunar guardian, very similar to Krad in appearance."

"Okay…" said Satoshi with an odd look.

"Want to see more? Or maybe you'd rather let Krad out for some fun…" hinted Anne evilly.

"If by fun you mean that you'll make him _blush _again, then DEFINITELY!" laughed Satoshi. He switched with Krad before the false angel had time to react.

* * *

**"_Satoshi-sama! Wait!"_** cried Krad nervously. 

"What's the matter Krad, scared?" giggled Anne.

**"_I'm not scared of you."_** Krad said defensively.

"IF that's true, then you won't mind helping me test these new items…"

**"_You're on. But the moment you start to feel weak, we're stopping!"_**

"'Kay! Catch me if you can!" laughed Anne as she activated the _Flight _card and grew wings. Krad took to the sky as well, and waited for her signal to start. She grinned, and nodded. He launched a weak, but formidable blast at her, which she avoided with stunning ease. He launched a series of similar blasts, most of which she either dodge or blocked with her staff. Without warning she went on the offensive! Out of nowhere, her staff becomes a sword and she strikes. Krad narrowly evades her attack, and blocks her second with difficulty. That was when he finally took this fight seriously. He struck at her with the same force he would have used if she had been Dark.

Anne barely ducked in time to avoid it, and when she looks up again, she grins. Now it was starting to be fun.

"I call upon the barrier card! Block his magical blasts!" she cried as she activated the _Shield _card. A strong barrier surrounds her and blocks all of Krad's magic blasts. Now their fight was with fists and not magic.

"_Fight _and _Power,_ give me the ability to be on equal footing with my opponent!"

She glowed slightly and once again took the offensive. Krad blocked a majority of her attacks, and launched several of his own. She followed his example and blocked ALL of his strikes. Suddenly, one of her blows made contact and knocked the wind out of Krad more than long enough for her to use a finishing move. Instead, she grins and says, "Ready to give up?"

**"_I…I concede defeat."_** Krad said quietly. They landed and Krad barely caught her in time before her knees buckled. She blacked out, and her new items vanished into her pockets. Krad held her as he flew back to the house and laid her back down. He was about to get up, but something held him down. He turned to see what it was, when he realized why he couldn't get up.

Anne curled up close to Krad, and somehow managed to prevent him from leaving. Krad sighed; he laid down next to her since he couldn't leave without waking her. She instinctively curled up as close as she could and fell into a deep sleep against him. He slowly fell asleep five minutes later to the sound of her breathing… 

Anne woke up and realized that was somehow back in Satoshi's house. She felt something warm beside her, and was shocked to find Krad asleep next to her! She went back to sleep, her head very close to Krad's. They both awoke a few hours later, mainly due to the fact that Daisuke was at the door.

* * *

"Oy! Satoshi! You in there?!" he called out. 

Krad switched back with his tamer who opened the door.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he grumbled.

"Sorry… I didn't know you were asleep!" said Daisuke quickly.

"You can come in if you want," said Satoshi tiredly.

"Here's the homework for today. I brought both yours and Anne's. How is she?" asked Daisuke.

"She's recovering from last night. I think it took a lot out of her," said Satoshi.

"After narrowly escaping that sandy death-trap, I can understand!"

"Is this all? There's not very much!" said Satoshi quickly.

"Yeah… most of the day was gym class, so we didn't get much homework."

"She'll be glad to hear that!" laughed Satoshi.

* * *

After Daisuke left, Anne slowly got up. Satoshi quickly went to the bed and said, "Don't try to get up. You've had enough action for today!" 

"But…"

"NO BUTS. I mean it Anne! You should rest today; you can embarrass Krad some more tomorrow!" said Satoshi sternly.

"Satoshi, how would you like to be separated from Krad, even if it's only for a day?" asked Anne.

"What do you mean? It's impossible to separate us!" said Satoshi in disbelief.

"But if you could, would you?"

"In a heartbeat!" snorted Satoshi.

"Well, maybe I might know a way to do it…" hinted Anne.

"How? And does it involve your powers?" said Satoshi suspiciously.

"It involves my powers…" said Anne in defeat. (She was unable to keep that bit of info from Satoshi due to the look he shot her.)

"Then it CAN wait until tomorrow!" said Satoshi firmly. He could tell that Anne would be a bit of a problem when it came to her going back to sleep, so he came up with a simple solution.

_

* * *

Krad, do you think you could stay with Anne until she falls back asleep? _

_**Why ask me?**_

_Because I have a suspicion that she won't go back to sleep without a fight._

_**What do you want me to do? Knock her out?**_

_No, I just need you to stay WITH her until she falls back asleep!_

_**NANI! Are you insane?!**_

_No, I'm SERIOUS. You're the only person I know who she feels safe enough with to fall asleep next to._

_**Fine, but YOU OWE me for this…**_

* * *

Satoshi swapped places with Krad yet again, much to Anne shock. He gently held her; she was surprised at first, but quickly started to relax. Soon she fell fast asleep next to Krad. He lays her down and stays with her until around ten. Somehow, by actually doing what Satoshi asked, the two were split for the entire night. Satoshi suspected Anne's handiwork, but didn't complain. Krad fell asleep next to her, and she was curled up close to him. Satoshi grinned and couldn't help but think, "Where's a camera when ya need one?" As the night drew on, Satoshi's eyes started to droop considerably. He yawned, and then headed to bed. When he got next to Krad and Anne, he felt himself switch places with Krad. He was shocked for a moment, but he soon fell sound asleep with her right next to him. 

The next morning…

Anne woke up, refreshed and ready to cause mischief. That is, until she realized Satoshi was fast asleep _next _to her. She would have become annoyed, if she didn't remember that Krad and Satoshi were the same person. She silently sighed and lay closer to him. When Satoshi woke up a few moments later, he was in for a shock. Normally he was disoriented and barely half-awake due to his low-blood pressure. But when he saw that Anne was mere inches AWAY from him, his eyes opened pretty quick. He sat up, and was about to move away when he froze completely! No matter how hard he tried to move, he was paralyzed! He was panicking when he heard a certain _someone's _evil chuckle.

_  
KRAD! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!_

_**I am merely repaying the FAVOR Satoshi-sama. It's YOUR turn to have her curled up next to you!**_

* * *

Satoshi could practically _feel_ Krad's evil smirk. He mentally glared at his other half, angry at his little stunt. Much to his horror, Krad took over his body part-way and _forced Satoshi to lay back down._ Anne curled up closer, and Satoshi couldn't move thanks to Krad. He silently vowed that when he could move again he would soooo make Krad pay for this! Slowly he felt the darkness creep up on him. He finally submitted to the embrace of sleep, and right before he went down, he felt Anne's head on his shoulder.

Three hours later, the phone rings and wakes Satoshi up yet again. This time, Krad doesn't stop him from getting up. One look at the caller ID makes him wish that he had stayed in BED. It was…_his step-father, Hiwatari._


	6. Beware, Evil Child on the loose

**Beware, Evil Child on the Loose!** _(Who am I kidding… the writer IS evil and in a mood to torment her characters!)_

"_Satoshi, you better show up tomorrow night. And DON'T even think of being late, I expect to see you at the party at 7 o'clock sharp!"_ barked his step-father, Hiwatari. Satoshi picked up the phone and said, "Fine, I'll be there. Is it alright if a friend of mine tags along?"

"_Only if they wear the proper dress attire. I hope for your sake that they can behave themselves in public."_

"We'll be there."

* * *

Satoshi hanged up, his day UTTERLY shot. Somehow his step-father always KNEW how to put him in a bad mood.

"What's wrong Satoshi?" asked Anne.

"My father wants me to attend some boring party. Luckily, he said that I could bring a friend so long as they fit the dress code and behaved themselves in public."

"In other words I have to dress up and actually _act_ like a girl in a boring fancy party?" said Anne bluntly.

"That's pretty much it."

"The first part is pretty easy. I'm fairly sure that I have something that _might qualify _as a dress…though I don't know if I can handle actually _acting my age_…" said Anne doubtfully.

"I think that maybe we could use the fact that you transferred from another country to our advantage…" said Satoshi thoughtfully.

"You mean play the 'I have absolutely NO idea what you're saying' card?" said Anne with an evil grin.

"Exactly… So if another guy asks you to dance with him, you can just act naturally and tell him that you're from another country altogether," joked Satoshi.

"If he can understand ENGLISH that is!" laughed Anne.

* * *

Anne leaves for her house and spends an hour getting ready. When Satoshi arrives and knocks on the door, he's stunned with her appearance! The girl he saw before him now wasn't some tomboy with an attitude; it was a demure and _graceful_ girl!

"ANNE?!" said Satoshi in shock.

"_Were you expecting someone else?"_ she giggled.

"Wow… I didn't even recognize you at all!" said Satoshi.

"Figures… I hate wearing this stupid skirt…" grumbled Anne.

"You're in a _skirt_. Now this is one of those days when I wish I had a camera!" Satoshi laughed.

"KEEP IT UP AND YOU'RE DEAD." Anne growled.

"Sorry, but the sight of you actually looking _LIKE _a girl is just too weird…" snickered Satoshi.

"Can we just go and get this over with?" grumbled Anne.

"Yes, Ms. Nichols…" sniggered Satoshi.

"You have a _serious_ _death wish_ don't you…" she growled. Satoshi helped her get down the steps and they made it to the place where the car waited. They entered, and Anne's LEAST favorite party began.

* * *

"Why Satoshi, you didn't tell me you were bringing your girlfriend." Hiwatari said; his eyebrows raised.

"Kare wa toda no tomadachi des!" growled Satoshi in warning. (Translation: She's just a friend.)

"Then why did you bring a girl?" snickered Hiwatari. He was mildly surprised by the confused look the girl gave Satoshi.

Satoshi leaned over to her and whispered what his step-father said, and her face grew annoyed.

"Satoshi is there something wrong with her?" his step father whispered.

"No, she's a foreign transfer student from America, so she doesn't know much Japanese."

"Ahhhh…"

"Shall we go in and get this ridiculous show over with?" sighed Satoshi. He had the girl's arm around his own and led them inside.

The night almost went off without a hitch, with the exception of Hiwatari becoming too nosy about Satoshi's relationship with the girl.

* * *

"So why did you bring her here?"

"I told her about the party and she mentioned that she'd never been to one before. So when I invited her, she agreed to come along," said Satoshi bored.

"Is she in your class?"

"She sits next to me…"

"What else do you know about her?"

"She dislikes Dark, and she actually enjoys being around Krad."

"She enjoys being around Krad… Are you sure you're not making this stuff up?"

The girl approaches as he says this and looks at Satoshi who translates. She replies, and he relays what she said.

"She said that Krad doesn't harass her and isn't a pervert like Dark. She also said that you should back off on all the personal questions."

"Dark has been harassing her?"

"Yeah, he seems to believe that Krad put some sort of spell on her or something."

"Why? Because she likes Krad and NOT him?" joked Hiwatari.

"Hai." The girl said simply.

"I thought you said she didn't know much Japanese."

"She knows enough now to understand some of what you just said," replied Satoshi.

"Interesting…"

"Satoshi, sore anatano oto-san no baka?" asked the girl. (Translation: Satoshi, is your father an idiot?")

"Naka motto michi ichi." Satoshi replied. (Translation, as close as I can get it anyway: In more ways than one.)

"I heard that."

"I know."

The rest of the night past somewhat uneventfully, if you don't count the four other boys asking Satoshi's "date" for a dance!

Every single teenage boy either came up and asked or even came up to chat. Mostly it was to dance, in which they would always say, "Mo I des ka issho no Odette?"

She would always look towards Satoshi who grinned. She always replied the same way, "Tsure ga imas node."—I'm with someone.

They would usually shrug and go talk to someone else. After the third boy asked to dance, she grew tired of being bothered and decided to stick near Satoshi. Finally, after two hours, they went home.

* * *

"So what did you think?" asked Satoshi, even though he had a good idea what she would say.

"The word 'bored' doesn't _begin_ to cover it!" snorted Anne.

"Why am I NOT surprised?" joked Satoshi.

"How can _anyone_ sit through one of those?!"

"It takes a LOT of patience and practice…" laughed Satoshi.

"Do you think I shocked him by actually remembering my Japanese lessons?"

"I think he was surprised to death!"

"It's a good thing I bought that book before I came."

"What book?"

"A small phrase book I got offline. I found this one phrase that I figured that might come in handy. I think it translated as 'I'm with someone."

"So THAT'S how you got all those guys to go away!" Satoshi nearly fell over laughing.

"Don't even say anything…" growled Anne.

_----------_

_Satoshi is hiding something from me… And I think it has something to do with that infuriating girl he brought!_ Hiwatari thought irritably. He was furious by the girl's question earlier. (She asked her friend Satoshi whether or not his step father was an idiot in perfect Japanese.)

"American transfer student my ass…" grumbled Hiwatari.

---------

"ACHOO!" sneezed Anne.

"What's wrong? You catching a cold?"

"I have a feeling that someone talking about me behind my back… Probably Hiwatari the moron."

"Why do you say that?"

"Ever hear that old wives tale?"

"Which one?"

"The one where you sneeze when someone talked about you behind your back."

"Oh you meant that one. I think you're right. But why would he…?"

"I think our plan _might _have backfired."

"How so?" said Satoshi.

"My Japanese may not be great, but it might be good enough for me to be considered a local."

"Good point. But wasn't that the original idea?"

"I think I might have a way to fix this problem…" said Anne.

"How?" asked Satoshi.

"Back home I have this friend who loves anime and manga almost as much as I do."

"Really? Who?"

"Her name is Louis. _Louise Like_. She the same age as me, we're at least a month apart. I'm sure she'd LOVE to move out of her parent's house and come live here," replied Anne.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She might not take to Krad as easily as you did."

"No she wouldn't, I can promise you that. Buuut… she _would _take to Wiz pretty quick. She prefers animals to guys ANY day!" laughed Anne.

"Is she friendly?"

"We've been best friends since 7th grade. I'm sure your step father will have one hell of a time trying to control _HER_."

"Why's that?"

"She's a bit… how should I put this… stubborn and pretty foul tempered when you put her in a bad mood. And those are only a _few _of her bad qualities. She's a really great friend to have, once you get past her rough and cranky exterior."

"Are you sure she can be trusted?"

"With your secret? She won't have a choice, once she realizes that Krad and Dark aren't afraid to show their darker sides…" grinned Anne.

"Is there any other reason you want her to come?"

"Yup. She lives with 5 dogs, two cats and two birds. So she's meaner and far more dangerous than a rabid pit bull when she realizes she's been manipulated. I pity your step father if he tries to turn her against us!" snickered Anne.

"Yikes…I really hate that e-e-e-evil look of yours! It usually means you've got something twisted or cruel in mind." Satoshi said with a gulp.

"Now whatever makes you say that?" said Anne with a fake sweet smile.

"And THAT creeps me out even more!"

"Hee-hee-hee…" laughed Anne evilly.

* * *

"_Oy! Louise! You among the living yet?!"_

"_ANNE!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT #$&())(& TIME IT IS?!" roared Louise._

"_It's 6 pm. Why?"_

"_IT'S 4 IN THE MORNING!!!!! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING BY CALLING ME THIS EARLY?!"_

"_Sorry! I forgot about the time difference. My bad, anyway I have a question to ask you…" said Anne quickly before Louise REALLY got mad!_

"_What…and had better be bleeping good!" snorted Louise. _

Anne laid out her proposal to her old friend who agreed to try it out. She'd always wanted to go to Japan as well! It would take a week or so for Louise to come, but it was well worth the wait! Satoshi was nervous, as his 'girlfriend' decided to move in with him temporarily.

* * *

"Anne, why would you want to live here with me?!" he exclaimed.

"A lot of reasons! Though my main one is because Louise would literally _kill me_ if I didn't give her some personal space. Plus, it means that now we get to see each other more often!"

"…"

So Anne moved in and Louise traveled half-way across the world so she could see her best friend again. But what nightmares are in store for them now?


	7. NEWS BULLETIN

**NEWS BULLETIN: TWO AMERICAN GIRLS EQUAL TROUBLE**

"Hey Louise! Over here!" called Anne.

"Hey Anne! Long time no see!" said Louise.

"_That's your friend?!"_ said Satoshi incredulously.

"Hey Anne, who's the guy with the blue hair?"

"He's Satoshi, the one I mentioned last time," replied Anne.

"Konnichiwa," said Satoshi.

"Um, hi I guess…" said Louise.

"She knows less Japanese than I did when I first got here…" whispered Anne.

"So he's the kid you were talking about? Funny, I thought he'd be shorter."

"You're thinking of Niwa. He's the shorty I was talking about!"

"Where is he?"

"Probably at school."

"Yeah, you said something about a school… IS it true that everyone who goes there has to wear a uniform?!"

"Yup."

* * *

After a short but amusing conversation at the airport restaurant, Anne showed Louise her new place. (Anne's old house.)

"Cool; you didn't tell me it was bigger than your old room Anne!" laughed Louise.

"Har-har."

"So when are ya gonna show me where you're living now?" said Louise suddenly.

"EH?!" said Satoshi and Anne.

"Woah… Anne in stereo…creepy!"

* * *

Anne and Satoshi (reluctantly) showed Louise their house.

"So, where is the school you mentioned?"

"You want us to show you around, don't you…" said Anne with a silent groan.

"YUP."

"Satoshi, you wanna join or do you want to get back to work?" asked Anne.

"Work."

"Figures. Come on Louise, I'll give you a bird's eye view of the city."

"How?"

"Watch." Anne grinned as she pulled out her magic staff and cards. She chanted the incantation, and activated the FLY card. Louise sat behind her, and they took to the sky.

"COOL! Where'd ya get this awesome staff?"

* * *

"I made it. And the card as well. Anyway, you see that building down there with the track? That's the school. And that is the train station," said Anne as she gave Louise a tour of the city.

"Whose house is that?" asked Louise suddenly.

"Let me see… Oh, that's the short runt's house. Wanna close up?" joked Anne.

"Nah, I'd rather meet short-stuff at the school!" snickered Louise.

"When we're done, you want to start on your Japanese language lessons?" said Anne.

"WAAAH!!!!" yelped Louise. (She didn't think Anne would pull that out on her so early! LOL.)

"You didn't think I'd let ya wander around aimlessly after you first came here did ya? Besides, the sooner we start, the less embarrassed you'll be at school!" laughed Anne evilly.

"I hate it when you bring out your _twisted mind games!_" growled Louise.

They landed at the house, and Anne brought out the book.

"Anne, you're mean!" whined Louise.

"Mean but reliable!" laughed Anne.

"Can we PLEASE start this tomorrow?! I want to get settled in first!" whined Louise.

"FINE! Just quit whining!" grumbled Anne, "I'll leave you alone then… I gots some homework to do!"

"_WHAT!!!! YOU ARE DOING YOUR HOMEWORK?! Who are you and what have you done to my friend?!"_ exclaimed Louise in horror.

"Very funny! I'll talk to you later!" griped Anne as she left.

"What happened to you Anne? What made you change so much?" murmured Louise.

* * *

Three days later, Louise was about to go to her first day of Japanese schooling. Anne suddenly popped out of nowhere and asked, "Would you like to keep people from staring at you?"

"Sure, I guess…"

"Then stay still for a sec." Anne said as she activated the ILLUSION card. Afterwards, she almost had a hard time telling that it was her friend!

"Wow… Major difference!" laughed Anne.

Louise looks in the mirror, and gasps in shock.

"That's…that's me?!"

"Yup. Ready to go? I'll walk with ya to school!"

As soon as Anne dropped Louise off at the office, she went to class and waited. Satoshi grinned, and couldn't wait to see her friend swamped by the others!

"Class, we have a second transfer student from America. Come in now please," said the teacher. A girl with short brown hair and a grin entered.

"Class, I'd like you to meet…"

"Louise. Louise Like."

"Konnichiwa!" they said in unison.

"Um, hi…"

"Louise, you may sit next to Anne. Anne, would you…"

"No need for that ma'am, Anne is an old friend of mine." Louise said quickly.

"Very well, then sit down and we'll start class," said the teacher.

Louise sat down next to her best friend and silently gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad that's over…" whispered Louise.

Satoshi grinned evilly as he said, "Are you kidding? It's just begun!"

* * *

As he predicted, Louise was almost immediately swamped by lunchtime.

"So where do you live?"

"How do you know Anne?"

"Anne is my best friend from back home. She told me about the fun she was having here in Japan and invited me to come live here."

Before Takeshi could ask if she knew about Phantom Dark, Anne interrupted him.

"Takeshi, here's a little 'word to the wise'… If I'd never heard of Phantom Dark, then she hasn't either. And I DO NOT recommend trying to push your chores on her."

"Why's that Anne?" asked Takeshi.

"Because I'm liable to bite your head off literally," replied Louise coldly. Anne translated and Takeshi gulped.

"She's not a real 'people' person. She's more of a lone wolf than I was!" laughed Anne.

Though they continued to swamp her, they mostly bugged Anne since she was more social and knew more Japanese.

After school, Anne walked with Louise back to her old house.

"Man, I don't know how you can handle being swamped like that!" groaned Louise.

* * *

That night, Louise gets a call from someone named _Hiwatari._

"Hello?" said Louise carefully.

"_WHO IS THIS?! WHERE IS THAT BRAT WHO LIVED HERE?!"_ roared the man.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but if you keep yelling then I'll kick your ass!" growled Louise.

"_Where is she?!"_

"If you're talking about Anne, then you can go to hell for all I care!" snorted Louise as she slammed the phone down.

"Freakin' asshole…" she muttered.

* * *

"Hey Louise! What's wrong? Something happen last night?" asked Anne as she saw the sour look on her friend's face.

"Some moron named Hiwatari called the house; I think he was lookin' for you!"

"Hiwatari?! I don't believe it! How'd he find me so damn quickly?!" growled Anne angrily.

"What happened Anne?" asked Satoshi as he saw her angry expression.

"Your step-father called the house and annoyed Louise last night."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, so I slammed the phone down on him," snorted Louise.

"That…" said Satoshi as he silently cursed out his step-father.

"Satoshi, you know that advanced warning yesterday? Do you think that Hiwatari will show up?"

"Probably. I bet he'll come mainly for you though."

"Good. Then Louise can _repay_ him for calling her last night," said Anne smugly.

"Uh-oh… Now I almost feel sorry for him," said Satoshi coldly.

* * *

"Commander, your father is here waiting for you," said one of the officers.

"I know."

"Satoshi, and I see you brought your little friend along too!" said Hiwatari with mock joy.

"Bite me, creep!" growled Anne.

"Anne, is he the idiot who called me last night?" asked Louise from behind her.

"Yes, but wait until we're inside to beat the crap out of him, 'kay?" said Anne evilly.

"Fine…" grumbled Louise.

* * *

**Hey Daisuke, is it me or is the new girl beating the crap out of Satoshi's dad?**

_I think you're right… But why would she…?  
_**He must have done something to really piss her off… WOAH! She just sat on him!**

_I wonder why he can't get up?_

**Beats me. Come on, we gotta bring this piece home fast!**

* * *

Dark flew off, with the piece in hand and in good humor. After seeing a 14-year old beat up a grown man who he really didn't like, he was in the mood for some mischief!

_Hey Dark, why're we going to Anne's house again?_

**Because I wanna ask her something about the new girl.**

As he entered the room, he immediately felt the presence of someone behind him; he spun around only to feel the full force of a sucker punch!

* * *

**"Damn Anne! What was THAT for?!"** grumbled Dark as he rubbed his jaw.

"You broke into the wrong house if you're looking for Anne," growled the owner of the fist.

**"WHA! If this is your house, then where is Anne?!"** said Dark in disbelief.

"She's living with her boyfriend, you moron!" said Louise angrily. She starts toward him, preparing a second punch which Dark narrowly avoided.

**"I'm sorry! I didn't know she wasn't living here anymore!"** said Dark quickly before Louise launched a third strike.

"Sheesh… Did Anne ever let you break into her room without permission too?"

**"No, she was usually asleep by the time I showed up," **admitted Dark.

"Then WHAT made you think that I'd let it go by?" growled Louise.

**"I didn't know she gave her house to you and moved in with Satoshi. My mistake!" **said Dark quickly as he attempted to escape. Wiz saw the strawberries on the table and jumped off Dark's back.

"Kyu!" said Wiz happily.

"What the…?! A floppy eared rabbit?!"

**"WIZ! This is NOT the time to be thinking with your stomach!"** scolded Dark.

"Kyu…"

"HE can have 'em. At least HE doesn't barge into people's houses without asking!" grumbled Louise.

Dark tried to call Wiz back, but it didn't work. He gives up and goes back home the hard way; by walking!

* * *

The next day, Wiz stowed away in Louise's bag.

"Silly bunny," said Louise with a grin.

"Kyu!" said Wiz happily.

"Hey Louise! What the… how did you get _Dark's familiar?!_" said Anne in disbelief.

"A certain thief broke into my room and his furry sidekick decided to stay."

Anne burst out laughing. As Daisuke approached, she could tell he was depressed.

"What's wrong Dai?" asked Anne.

"My rabbit pulled a vanishing act on us last night and we haven't found him."

"He wouldn't happen to have floppy ears and go 'Kyu!' would he?" asked Louise.

"That's him! Do you know where he is?" asked Daisuke hopefully.

"Yup. He's in my bag right now," said Louise. Wiz hopped out of her bag and onto Daisuke's shoulder.

"Wiz! You have no idea how worried we were!" said Daisuke happily.

"No prob. He's welcome to come over whenever he wants to!" said Louise with a grin.

Wiz disappeared into Daisuke's bag and they went to class.


	8. I want to play soccer

**I want to play soccer!**

As Anne and the others walked together to class, she saw something that brought up old memories…

The girls were playing soccer today, and Anne remembered back when she was in elementary school and she joined the soccer team. She wasn't very good and they never did win a game, but it was fun. She idly wondered if she could still play when she realized the bell had rung!

"CRAP!" she muttered as she bolted full speed towards the classroom.

* * *

During gym… 

"Alright class, today we're playing soccer."

Several of the not-so-athletic-types all groaned in dismay, but Anne was excited even if she wasn't in the best of shape.

"Captains will be… Hiwatari Satoshi and Harada Riku. You may pick your teams." The teacher said as she sat down and waited.

"I pick…Louise for my first choice," said Satoshi. She shot him a look that clearly said, "If you expect me to actually run, then you're dreaming!"

"In that case, I choose Anne."

"Eh?!" said Anne in surprise.

"Then my next pick will be Niwa."

"Risa for me." Riku said calmly.

"Saehara."

The choosing went on for about two more minutes before the captains decided what positions each player would be on.

* * *

"Anne, I want you to be a defender," said Riku. 

"Got it."

"Risa, you'll be a wing-back, meaning that you'll be close to the goal."

"O-o-okay…" said Risa nervously.

Riku calmly laid out the positioning and the 'battle' plan. Satoshi wasn't having much luck deciding where to put Louise.

--------

"Louise, how would you like to be goalie? If you take that one, then you have to stay BY the goal and you're the only player who can use your hands."

"Fine by me."

"Daisuke, you're the middle defender, which means you're close to the larger box outside the goal."

"Got it."

"Now, as for Saehara… I think you should be a striker, and that means you'll be seeing most of the action."

"ALL RIGHT!" said Takeshi happily.

--------

After the positions were decided, the game began. It soon became clear that Louise was NOT goalie material, or even good at soccer. But Anne, on the other hand, was clearly wasted as a defender. She was aggressive and always waiting for the ball to at least come her way.

When half-time finally came, Riku went to the teacher and announced a change in positions.

"Which members?"

"Anne and Yukina. I want Anne as a striker and Yukina as defender."

"Any particular reason?"

"Anne seems like she _really _wants to chase after the ball, and she can't exactly do that if she's defending the goal."

"Very well," said the teacher. She went to Satoshi and told him about the switch.

"In that case, can I make Louise a substitute goalie and switch players? I think she'd be better on the bench at this point; she's really worn out."

"Fair enough."

"Louise, you got to the bench and regain your strength. You're a substitute goalie; you'll take over if the new goalie can't play."

"Thanks!" said Louise relieved. She sat down on the bench and watched the rest of the game.

* * *

As soon as the game resumed, it became _painfully _clear that Anne was having fun. During the first half, the score was 2-Satoshi and 0-Riku. Now they were tied and Anne was about to score yet another point! 

"Anne! Behind you!" warned Riku.

She saw Satoshi coming at her, trying to cut her off. She almost panicked, but kept her cool and back-kicked the ball to Riku. This tactic caught Satoshi off-guard and he was unable to block her kick.

The whistle blew, the score: Satoshi-2, Riku-3.

"We won!" said Risa happily.

"I can't believe how hard Anne played! It was like she really wanted to play and was finally able to let it loose at once!" said Takeshi.

"Yeah… I guess she must enjoy soccer," replied Daisuke, panting. Out of all of them, he had tried his hardest to defend the goal.

"Hey Anne, why haven't you joined the school soccer team if you like playing it?" asked Takeshi.

"Because the only time I played soccer was back in elementary school, and even then I really sucked at it. We went to the games, and we never won ONCE."

"Yikes. But you seem really good at it!" said Daisuke.

"That's because I keep pretending its Dark's face after he breaks into my room again!" sniggered Anne.

"Eep!" said Daisuke.

"Anne, why don't you try soccer again? Who knows, you might actually be really good at it!" said Riku.

"I don't know…"

"Tell you what, you try out for the soccer team and if you don't make it, then we'll never bring it up again," said Satoshi.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt…"

* * *

After school, Anne went with Riku approached the captain of the girl's soccer team. 

"What's this about Harada?" asked the captain.

"MY friend here enjoys playing soccer, and almost single-handedly won the game during gym, even though we were 2-0."

"She sounds pretty good; but why hasn't she tried until now?" asked the captain.

"The last time I joined a team, we never won a game and I really sucked." Anne said simply.

"Well, you can only try," said the captain with a grin.

Anne tried, and much to her shock, the captain said, "You're in!"

"Eh?!"

"You may not have the talent or the moves, but you've got the power and imagination to make it happen. I'd be glad to have you on the team. There's a game a week from now," said the captain.

"Arigato!" she said happily. She couldn't believe it; she was going to retake soccer AGAIN!

* * *

"So you made the team!" said Satoshi. 

"Yup, she said that I have to come to the practice sessions every day until the game a week from now," said Anne with a grin.

"Guess that means that I'll have to stay up late to help ya with your homework then," said Satoshi.

"You don't have to; I think I've finally got a hand on it now," said Anne quickly.

"Still…"

"I'll work something out," said Anne.

"All right team, we've got a big game in six days, so I expect everyone to do their best!" said the captain.

"Um, Yuki, who's the new girl?" asked the goalie.

"Her name is Anne, and she'll be on our team. She's a transfer student all the way from America!" said Yuki.

"Wow…" said the girls impressed. (Most had never left the country before.)

"I'm really not that good, but I guarantee that I'll try my hardest!" said Anne.

Anne practiced with the other girls, and enjoyed every minute of it. She spent an hour on her homework and had it finished before bed. She then spent two hours studying the rules, as she had forgotten them over the years.

* * *

"Anne, did you check your homework twice?" asked Satoshi suddenly. 

"Three times…why?!" asked Anne suspiciously.

"Just checking."

"What's wrong?! You better be honest Satoshi, or I guarantee you'll be in for a world of hurt," warned Anne.

"It's just…"

"JUST WHAT?!"

"They're all right."

Anne fell down anime-style and glared at Satoshi.

"_On second thought, YOU'RE STILL DEAD MEAT PAL!" growled Anne annoyed._

"ACK!"

_

* * *

A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED HERE KRAD! _

_**This is all because you said something about HER homework. You've got only yourself to blame!**_

_TRAITOR!_

* * *

"Looks like Krad knows when to back down…" snickered Anne evilly. She chased Satoshi throughout the house, ready to beat the crap out of him for scaring her like that. _

* * *

Crap… What do I do now?! If she catches me, then I'm screwed! _

_**I would give you a bit of advice, but I doubt you'll like it.**_

_Anything! As long as it keeps her from killing me!_

_**Alright… I suggest you stop and let her crash into you face-first.**_

_What?!_

_**Now you know why I said you wouldn't like it.**_

_So basically you're telling me to ACCIDENTALLY KISS HER?!_

_**Pretty much.**_ Satoshi felt his other half shrug.

_Well, if it's the only way… (gulps)_

* * *

Satoshi suddenly stops and whips around just in time for Anne to crash into him. Both black-out, _unaware of their landing positions…_

_--------_

_What…what the hell just happened?!_

Anne slowly comes to, and is shocked by where she is! _She was lying on top of Satoshi, and they were kissing!_

_WHA!!! How the hell did this happen?!_

Satoshi comes to, and is equally startled by their landing position. But then he hears Krad laughing his head off in the back of his mind and glares.

_

* * *

Krad, I'm soooo going to kill you later for this. _

_**Right…**_

* * *

"I'm soooo sorry, Satoshi!" said Anne as she blushed. 

"Blame Krad. It was HIS idea that I stop and face you while you crashed into me!" grumbled Satoshi as he got up.

"KRAD!!!" roared Anne. Much to her amusement, Satoshi switches with a very _horrified_ Krad!

"Krad, you are SOOO dead!" she growled.

**"_Satoshi-sama!!!"_** yelps Krad as she proceeds to pummel him.

"Hee-hee-hee. Thanks, now I don't have to beat him for the stunt later," snickered Satoshi evilly.

"Satoshi…about how we landed…" started Anne.

"It was an accident," said Satoshi quickly, blushing.

"Right, an accident… I better get back to studying the rules…" said Anne as she quickly vanished into the other room and hid behind the book.

As she went to bed, she was unable to face Satoshi at all. The accident earlier kept playing over and over in her mind… She was unable to sleep; her mind troubled.

* * *

Satoshi also kept going over the scene, and he couldn't seem to figure out WHY he followed Krad's advice to begin with. Or worse, what the things he was feeling were. Neither could get a decent night's sleep. Finally, Satoshi got up and went to Anne's bedroom to see if she was awake.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked when she heard the door open.

"Apparently you couldn't…" mumbled Satoshi.

They both got up, and sat on the couch. It was almost 11:00 pm.

"Satoshi, I..."

"I know… you can't get over how we landed."

"You too?"

"Anne, it was an accident! So why can't either of us let it go?"

"Daisuki…"

"What?!"

"Daisuki Satoshi…" said Anne quietly, and Satoshi had to strain just to hear her. When he realized _what_ she had said, his eyes widened in shock! (Daisuki is the same thing Wiz said as he was trying to learn how to talk. He was attempting to say Daisuke's name at the time. Daisuki is just short of 'I love you'. Which is why Daisuke was really embarrassed whenever Wiz said it!)

"Anne…" said Satoshi quietly. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they fell asleep next to each other.


	9. Hiwatari's nightmare

**Hiwatari's nightmare**

_Stupid brats! How dare that runt attack me! Still… why did she feel so heavy when she sat on me?! It makes NO sense…she looked to be around 145, maybe 150 tops. So WHY did she feel like she weighed at least 200 pds?!_

Hiwatari silently fumed in his own mind, still hospitalized from the beating Louise gave him. (This still cracked both Dark and Satoshi up whenever they thought about it!)

As he lay there in the bed, he plotted his revenge on the girls. Somehow, they were always able to thwart him. And to make it worse, it looked more and more like Anne was having a _POSITIVE AFFECT _on Krad! (Definition: Krad was slowing losing his Homicidal Blond attitude. This was NOT good in Hiwatari's opinion! (The only reason he adopted Satoshi to begin with was _because _of Krad.)

"I'll teach that brat some manners if it's the last thing I do!" growled Hiwatari, "OW!" (The nurse had come in and seen him sitting up again, against the doctor's STRICT orders!)

* * *

"Hiwatari-san, you know the doctor said you're _not_ allowed to sit up until next week!" scolded the nurse firmly. (She had pushed him back onto the bed for the _third _time that day!)

"Yes ma'am…" said Hiwatari meekly. (The nurse was scarier than Krad on a bad day!)

"So Satoshi, wanna go humiliate your father some more?" asked Anne evilly.

"We've got nothing better to do!!" laughed Satoshi with equal coldness.

They headed to the hospital, and thought they'd be in for a laugh. They were wrong…_they'd be in for a stay of their own due to laughing too hard!_

* * *

"Now Hiwatari-san, what have I told you about sitting up?" asked the nurse. 

"It's against doctor's orders, ma'am," Hiwatari said meekly.

"Satoshi, am I hearing things or did that sound like…?" said Anne.

"My overbearing step-father cowering in fear?"

"Exactly!"

They enter the room, and try to believe their eyes. Hiwatari was cowering in fear of a nurse who was barely five-feet tall! It took three seconds before they both fell over laughing their heads off!

"What is the meaning of this?!" roared the nurse.

"Eep!" said Satoshi. He suddenly realized why his father was afraid of her.

"Sorry ma'am. It's just that we've never seen that man cower in fear of a nice lady like you before!" said Anne quickly.

"How nice of you to say that dear," said the nurse with mock joy.

"I'm sorry miss. By the way, are you even legal to buy alcohol? You don't look a day over 19!" said Anne.

"Nice try, I ain't buying it little girl."

"No seriously, you look younger than my sister back home! And she's almost 25!"

"Are you kidding?" said the nurse, her eyes narrowed.

"No, seriously, my Onee-san Rachel looks WAY older than you!" Anne says with a straight face and pulls out a picture of her sister.

"I see… so you were giving me an honest compliment. That's a first," said the nurse with a dry tone.

"Sorry… I take it you don't get many actual compliments."

"Usually they're trying to suck up to me; half the time it's the patients trying to avoid doctor's orders."

"Like Hiwatari?" said Satoshi quickly.

"He's more of a whiny baby than a charmer," said the nurse with a bored tone.

"Sounds like my nephew Brandon," snickered Anne.

* * *

"YOU HAVE A NEPHEW?!" said Hiwatari incredulously.

"Yes I have two of them in fact," said Anne annoyed.

"TWO?!"

"_ENOUGH! YOU NEED YOUR REST!"_ roared the nurse. She ushered the two out and dealt with Hiwatari.

"Wow, that was…"

"Weird?"

"No I was thinking more along the lines of HILARIOUS!" laughed Satoshi. He laughed so hard that his heart hurt.

"Satoshi, are you all right?!" exclaimed Anne.

"Damn…low…blood pressure!" grumbled Satoshi between gasps.

* * *

"Looks like Hiwatari will have a roommate…" said the nurse suddenly.

"Um, where's the doc?" asked Anne.

"He's coming over right away," replied the nurse.

"Looks like your blood pressure rose too quickly for your heart to handle. You have two options; stay here at the hospital with your father or go home with the medication. If you take the latter, then you had better take it as prescribed." The doctor said strictly.

"And don't even think of skipping even ONE dosage or I'll personally drag you back here!" said the nurse with a dark growl.

"Yes-s-s ma'am!" said Satoshi quickly.

"Um, can we leave now? I'll help him home!" said Anne quietly.

"Yes, but not before I give you the medication. MAKE SURE HE TAKES IT."

"Yes sir!" said Anne. The doctor hands her the meds, and they leave.

* * *

"Anne, _exactly HOW are we going to get home?!"_ said Satoshi with a groan.

"Krad."

"WHAT!"

"Look, it's either you let him take over long enough to fly us home or you suffer walking. Do you REALLY want to go back to that hospital?!"

"Fine…" said Satoshi in defeat.

**"_So, where to?"_**

"Home, and NO SIDE TRIPS. Satoshi and I really need to get back fast or else that nurse who terrified Hiwatari will show up and drag him back into that hospital room."

**"_Fine."_**

* * *

As soon as Krad landed, she helped Satoshi to the bed, where he nearly collapsed. She was worried, and looked at the bottle.

"WHA! Take three every six hours?!"

"You're joking!" said Satoshi in disbelief. He looks at the bottle and says, "Anne, the directions say take ONE every EIGHT hours!"

"Sorry, you know I haven't mastered reading Kanji."

"What time is it?"

"Around 8:45 pm. Why?"

"I'm taking one now to get it over with. Can you get me something to drink please?" asked Satoshi.

"Sure," replied Anne. She got the water and brought it to him. He took one pill and lay down carefully.

"If you need anything just ask, 'kay?" she said quietly as Satoshi fell asleep.

* * *

"Doctor, it seems that the adopted son of Hiwatari-san follows your orders better than his father," said the nurse amused.

"Interesting…" said the doctor.

"MY SON FOLLOWS YOUR RIDICULOUS DIRECTIONS?!" said Hiwatari in disbelief.

"Hiwatari-san, I do believe that you're still not well. You'll have to stay here another week I'm afraid."

"NOOOOO!!!!!!"

_

* * *

Commander Hiwatari, Satoshi's sadistic step—father, was in his own personal hell. Bring in one very cranky and very unpleasant teenager, and he's royally screwed!_

"Oh Louise, guess what."

"What?"

"Hiwatari the idiot is stuck in a hospital room with NO way of escaping unnoticed."

"Sounds like fun," said Louise evilly.

"So, you in the mood to kick some idiot ass?" said Anne.

"Aren't I always?" laughed Louise evilly, "What room?"

Anne gave her the room number, and hung up.

"Aw crap! I'm gonna be late for practice!" said Anne as she looked at the time. She rushed out the door, and ran straight to the soccer field.

* * *

"Anne, you were almost late. Care to explain?" asked Yuki.

"Satoshi's blood pressure went up too fast for his heart to handle, so I had to rush it. I had to make sure he took his meds before leaving."

"In that case you're forgiven." Yuki said before turning around and facing the others.

"Now remember everyone, tomorrow's our match at noon! This is a really important match, so be fully rested and ready to run! Since I want everyone to be a top shape, we're cutting practice early!"

For practice, they went over the plays and tried them for over an hour. Anne had started to get the hand on the plays, practice ended.

"Now remember, get your homework done earlier and actually EAT your breakfast before you come to school!"

Anne headed back and much to her horror, the nurse was _at the door and trying to get in._

* * *

"Excuse me, but is there some sort of problem?" asked Anne with concern.

"Yes there is… Hiwatari Satoshi _refuses_ to take the medication he was prescribed!" said the nurse angrily.

"Hang on a moment…" said Anne as she snuck in a very secluded entrance to the house which only she and Satoshi knew about.

"Anne! You have to help me; that nurse is insane!" said Satoshi who was holding the nurse back with everything he had.

"She said you were refusing to take the medications. What's going on?!" said Anne in shock.

"I checked those medications on a pharmaceutical site. They aren't for use of blood pressure problems! They are meant only for _low-blood sugar_! I have low-blood pressure, my sugar level is fine! I've been trying to tell her that for over an hour but she won't listen!"

"Wait, they're for low-blood sugar?! Why did he give you meds for that? Unless…"

"Unless what?" said Satoshi, his strength beginning to wane.

"Unless he isn't a real doctor. He may be someone who received a forgery of a medical license and pretends to know what he's doing."

"Either way, we won't be able to find out with this blasted woman bothering us!" said Satoshi; the door was starting to crack.

"Hang on a sec."

Anne activated the LOCK card on the door, and then followed up with a SHIELD card. Satoshi's knees buckled and Anne caught him before he fell.

"We need to lock ALL the doors so she can't get in," said Anne.

"Agreed. Better do the windows too, just in case," said Satoshi weakly.

"You look up that doctor's name while I barricade the house."

* * *

Satoshi took out his laptop and began to look up the name Kiego Matsumoto. The medical school records revealed that he had been thrown out due to bad prescriptions and very bad orders; nearly three people had died due to his negligence. Then he looked up the nurse's name and found that she had _also been thrown out; _her records revealed that she was too violent towards patients who refused to listen.

"Anne, we have a _serious_ problem here."

"What?"

"Those two aren't even licensed; they were both thrown out of medical school."

"If that's true, then how did they get a job for a hospital?!"

"I don't know, but I plan to find out!" said Satoshi angrily. The nurse was still trying to get in, but Satoshi had had enough of their nonsense!

"I'd say that Krad should have a little chat with the nurse, wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely."

_

* * *

Krad, we need you to get that woman off the property and far away from this house. Think you can manage that without killing her?_

_**Would dropping her into the sea work? Not in the rocks, but far out?**_

_Perfect. Better do it fast, cause I don't think the door can hold much longer!_

* * *

White feathers enveloped Satoshi and Anne; Krad emerged and took flight off the roof. He grabbed the ballistic nurse and unceremoniously dropped her into the sea, away from the deadly rocks.

"How dare you!" roared the nurse as she fought to stay afloat.

**"_Can it you wind-bag!"_** growled Krad.

_---------_

_Pick up Anne and get us to the hospital rooftop. I'll take it from there._

_**As you wish, Satoshi-sama.**_

* * *

"Hey doctor Matsumoto, we've got some problems with the medication," said Satoshi.

"Oh? What sort of problems?"

"They're not what he needed," said Anne bluntly, her eyes cold.

"What do you mean? Haven't you been taking them like I told you to?"

"I did, _until I found out that you gave me the wrong prescription_!" said Satoshi angrily.

"I did not!" said Matsumoto.

"Did you even _look_ at his medical records before you gave him that prescription?!" said Anne, her anger rising.

"It said he had blood problems."

"_I have low-blood pressure you moron! Not low-blood sugar!"_

"How was I supposed to know this?!" said Matsumoto in his defense.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT THE RECORDS BEFORE PRESCRIBING!" roared Anne.

"I did and all it said was blood problems," said Matsumoto nervously.

"You do realize that we're going to report this."

"You do know that if you don't leave in five seconds I'm calling security," retorted Matsumoto smugly.

"Are you forgetting something?"

"What could I possibly be forgetting, little girl?"

"Well for one thing, I ain't little I'm five-foot-five. Secondly, you forget that even if you do call in security, we'll go to the police and have an investigation on your records."

"I highly doubt that they'd listen to a pair of teenage brats."

"And thirdly, you have forgotten that Hiwatari is _my step-father and the Chief of Police,_" said Satoshi with a smirk.

"So? Why should I be worried? I _do_ have medical license, and you can see it for yourself."

"In that case, I want to see it _now._"

"Follow me then," said Matsumoto.

* * *

In the office, above the desk, was a large frame holding a medical degree. But upon closer inspection, Satoshi's smirk grew wider.

"Are you sure this is your degree?"

"Yes."

"In that case, we'd best be going."

"Satoshi! What are you doing?!"

"Louise is coming tonight isn't she?"

"Yeah but…oh. I get it."

"Tonight, my step-father is going to be in his own personal hell!"


	10. The soccer match and headaches

**The soccer match and headaches**

"I'm beat…" said Anne.

"Why?"

"Well… Yuki said we had to finish our homework early and get rested for the game tomorrow. And we had to actually_ eat _our breakfast in the morning before school."

"Don't you always? Sheesh, I barely keep up with you in the morning when it comes to eating!"

"That's cause I usually eat my cereal without milk and my eggs only take a few minutes to make."

"That doesn't qualify as a 'balanced' breakfast you know."

"Only to those who are actually health nuts," joked Anne.

"Har-har."

"After I finish the work I'm going to bed. You?"

"I'll check your answers and _then _go to bed. I wouldn't want to miss your game now would I?"

"Yup. If ya did, then I'd never let you live it down!" laughed Anne.

* * *

The match was well underway. The score was 2-3, and Anne was attempting to even the game. As the captain passed the ball to her, she weaved through 5 people to make the shot. She kicked as hard as she could, just like they had practiced. It appeared as though the goalie caught the shot, but the referee called 'Goal'. Anne was stunned. She thought that she missed the shot, but she made it! The score was tied. The next goal would determine who went home victorious.

Anne was running out of breath fast; a striker was 'marked' onto her, and she couldn't break free! The ball was coming her way yet again; she had to choose. Either she allowed the other team to make the winning goal, or she'd quit holding back when it came to the 'physical' game of soccer. One look at her teammate's eyes decided it for her. She bolted towards where the ball would land, the striker practically going at a dead run to catch her. But it was no use; she intercepted the ball and started heading towards the goal. To Satoshi, it appeared as though a high schooler was playing instead of a 14-year old girl! She let loose her final shot; the crowd was tense when the goalie completely missed the ball and it landed inside the goal. The referee's whistle blew. The final score: 4-3. They had won the game and were going to go to the finals!

* * *

"Great job out there, Anne!" said Satoshi with a grin. She grinned right back. She was sitting on the field exhausted. He handed her a water-bottle, which she took gratefully."Hey, Anne, what was all that about near the end? It look sorta like you were a high school student and not 14." Satoshi asked; Anne choked slightly when he mentioned this, he gently pounded on her back. 

"What? What do you mean by that?" said Anne indignantly.

"I mean it looked like you aged about 4 or 5 years on the field. What happened?"

"I quit holding back. I gave it my all."

Satoshi would have said something if the others hadn't come over and helped Anne up. They went over and exhibited the usual show of good sportsmanship by shaking the hands of the losing team. After that, they went out to eat.

"Hey Anne, great work out there today! I didn't know you had that kind of reserve in ya!" said Yuki.

"I'm just full of surprises," joked Anne.

"I'll say! The way you ran past those defenders with the ball; that was unbelievable! It almost looked like your legs grew longer and gave you more speed!" said another.

"What?! As if that could ever happen!" said Anne nervously.

* * *

As she entered the house, Satoshi was up waiting for her.

"Anne, we need to talk."

"What about?"

"I don't know… maybe what happened today out there on the field?!"

"Can't we just drop it?!" said Anne nervously.

"You're hiding something from me Anne. I think I have a right to know what's going on!"

"I can't explain it…" said Anne as she vanished into another room and bolted the door shut.

"Anne, what's going on with you?" whispered Satoshi as he left her alone.

* * *

"I can't believe this. Why did I have to nearly blow my cover?! At this rate, the truth won't be hidden for much longer…" said Anne with an upset sigh. She lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep.

_**Satoshi-sama…I'm worried about her. She's been quiet for too long.**_

_I agree. But I can't unlock the door from this side!_

_**If you'll allow me time to switch, I'll get us into the room.**_

_Normally, I wouldn't do this… But today I'm going to make an exception._

Krad managed to get into the room and immediately found out why she had been so quiet. He walked over to her and gently pulled the covers over her. As the moonlight hit her, he watched in amazement as she grew taller. Her hair shortened, her arms and legs grew longer, and when it was all over, Anne looked around the same age as Krad or Dark!

_**What…what the hell just happened?!**_

_

* * *

Anne's eyes slowly opened. She looked around groggily at first, but when her eyes met the mirror she stared for a moment before becoming fully awake._

"Shit."

**"_Care to explain what's going on?"_** said Krad coolly, sitting on the bed next to her.

"I would if I knew that myself. I don't know what caused the original reversal, but I intend to find out," replied Anne as she sat up.

**"_Why don't we start with something simple then? Like maybe what your real name and age?"_**

"Krad, I've not been lying. My name really is Anne Nichols. Well…technically it's not my full name but still!"

**"_What's your full name then?"_**

"Mariah. Mariah Anne Nichols."

**"_Your initials spell 'M.A.N.'?!"_** said Krad in disbelief.

"Unfortunately…" grumbled Anne.

**"_So then what's your true age? Are you 14 or not?"_**

"Not. I quit being fourteen around five years ago, give or take a couple of months. I'm really 18."

**"_Then how…?"_**

"I don't know! I suddenly turned back into a 14-year-old the first night I came to live in Japan!"

**"_So then why haven't you switched back until now?"_**

"Probably because I've held back on my full strength for all this time. This is what I really look like," answered Anne quietly. Her head drooped; yet she wasn't tired in the slightest! They remained silent for a few minutes before Krad spoke.

**

* * *

"_Anne, why didn't you tell us sooner?"_**

"Would you have believed me if I had? And anyway, I'm not the only one to have this happen."

**"_Who else has changed ages?"_**

"Louise. She's only a month younger than me, if that. We were born in the same year," explained Anne.

**"_So what are you going to do now?"_**

"I…I don't know."

Satoshi-retook control from Krad and looked her in the eye.

* * *

"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like," he said gently.

"Thanks. The only question is, how will I explain this to the school? I can't exactly go looking like this."

"We'll figure something out. Right now I think you need to focus on getting some rest."

"Easier said than done. I've always had a hard time going back to sleep once I'm fully awake," said Anne with a sigh. Her head turned when she felt feathers fly around. Krad looked at her and smirked.

**"_Satoshi-sama has said that until you go back to what you use to look like, I get to have control,"_** said Krad.

"Basically he gets to spend time with my 14-year-old self and you get my true form."

**"_That about sums it up."_**

"Works for me," smiled Anne. She got up and unbolted the door. Krad stood up; much to their amusement, they were both about the same height.

They fell asleep shortly after and didn't wake up until 10. As Anne opened her eyes, she was slightly shocked at the fact that Krad was sleeping next to her and had his arm around her waist. Then the events of the night before came back to her in a blur. Her head spun, so she laid back down. She felt Krad stir slightly, and curled up closer to him.

_

* * *

Krad woke up with a major headache. His mind was groggy; it took him awhile to realize where he was and remembers what happened the night before. His mind clears up when he felt someone curl up close to him. He slowly opened his eyes to see Anne's true form asleep. He tightened his grip around her and held her close._

Anne woke up and the first thing her eyes see is… intricate gold-colored eyes looking right back at her. They lay there for a few more minutes before reluctantly getting up. As Anne makes the tea, Krad goes to see what day it is. Much to his relief, it was Sunday, which meant NO school. The kettle lets loose a high-pitched screech.

Anne poured the tea, and they both sat there half awake until it cooled. When it was ready, they both sat there in silence, doing their best to wake up.

"The person who created tea is a life-saver," joked Anne.

**"_How so?"_**

"Tea has caffeine, which gives people the energy they need to go about their day. Though most Americans prefer coffee in the morning. Either way, caffeine is the best way to start the day," kidded Anne. Krad simply shrugged at this, and when they were _finally_ awake, Anne said, "So what're we gonna do today?"

**"_What were you planning to do?"_**

"The same thing I usually do on Sundays. Nothing," laughed Anne. Krad shot her a look which only made her laugh more.

* * *

"One thing's for sure."

**"_What?"_**

"We're going to have to figure out a way for you to retract your wings."

**"_NANI?!"_**

"Look, your appearance is ALMOST normal, but the wings stand out too much. If you retract your wings voluntarily, then it'll be open season for Phantom Dork insults."

**"_You're on,"_** snickered Krad. His wings glowed for a moment before slowly vanishing. Anne smiled and then said, "Now if only we could get you a new outfit and a new look."

_**

* * *

Satoshi-sama, I have a BAD feeling about where this is going…**_

…

* * *

After raiding Satoshi's closet, they found a few outfits that fit Krad comfortably. Krad gulped when Anne took a pair of scissors to his long ponytail.

"It may not be perfect, but at least now you'll blend in with humans more easily," said Anne when she was finished. Krad looked into a mirror; his jaw dropped.

**"_That's…that's me?! I can barely recognize myself!"_**

"That was the idea. If you can't recognize yourself at a glance, then neither will Dark. You might want to change your voice a little though. It'd be a dead giveaway."

**"How's this?"**

"You're close," said Anne.

"How about now?"

"Perfect. Now Dark and Daisuke won't know it's you. Not to mention the idiot known as Commander Hiwatari," snickered Anne. It was then that the phone rang. They let the answering machine get it, and had mixed reactions when they heard the message. It was Detective Saehara calling to report Dark's next target.

"Well, at least now we have something to look forward to tonight," said Anne with a shrug.

"And what may that be?"

"Scaring Dork and confusing the hell out of him," replied Anne with a mischievous smirk.

"What shall we do in the meantime?"

"I say we go have some fun. Want to go see a movie?"

"I've never been to one…"

"Would you like to see one?"

_

* * *

**Satoshi-sama, what do I do?**_

_Go for it. It'll blow two hours minimum. Besides, I haven't been to the movies in a while either._

_**So how do I respond?**_

_Just say who pays for the popcorn. She'll get the joke._

* * *

After a moment's pause, Krad said, "Who buys the popcorn?"

"I'll buy. Now let's go see what's on," smiled Anne.


End file.
